America's fastest growing city: Mother reveals why Celina, Texas, is so popular

A young mom who moved with her family from California to America's fastest-growing city have revealed what drew them to the small town.

Michelle Clifford, 33, says she has always been enamored by Texas culture, and even attended college there. 

So when an opportunity to move to Celina in the Lone Star state popped up, she and her husband decided to go for it. 

Clifford said they've never looked back after scoring a bigger property with a smaller price tag and having more room to get into outdoor activities with their kids. 

It was a goal she had wanted to fulfill for some time - but the pair had previously settled down in southern California following her graduation after falling in love with the man of her dreams who attended school in the Bay Area. 

The pair lived in San Diego for five years before moving to San Francisco where they got married and had their first daughter, Clifford writes in an essay for Business Insider.

Michelle Clifford has described what drew her and her husband to move to America's fastest-growing city

The couple had lived in Oceanside, California (pictured) before they decided to relocate to the Lone Star State

During the pandemic, she and her husband moved to Oceanside, California, and she became pregnant with her second daughter. But by then they wanted more out of life.

'Over time, our priorities changed,' Clifford wrote. 'We wanted to slow down and buy a house, but it wasn't realistic for us in California.'

As she was working remotely at the time, her and her husband decided it was time to move to Texas.

At first they moved to Prosper, a town north of Dallas that has also seen a boom in recent years.

Census data shows its population in 2009 was just about 10,000 people. Its population now stands at around 40,000, according to the Prosper Economic Development Corporation. 

Clifford and her husband purchased a 2,400-square-foot home in Celina, Texas for just about $600,000

In Prosper, the couple was renting a three-bedroom, two-bath house that sits on a third of an acre for $2,650 a month - a major upgrade from their cramped home in Oceanside, where they were renting a two-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow build in the 1960s for $3,300.

But now they are upgrading even more, moving into a 2,400-square-foot home in Celina, Texas, which sits on an acre of land. 

Clifford and her husband were able to purchase the property for just about $600,000, and Clifford said the process to buy the home was a breeze compared to what they would have faced back in California where they could not find properties they liked within their budget of $700,000.

'I have friends who lost bidding wars for homes in California to buyers willing to offer up to $150,000 above the asking price and often in cash,' she recounted.

'But finding a home in Celina was the easiest process - it was like the stars aligned.'

Clifford said the sellers accepted their offer the same day they made it, and they were able to close on the deal within just 15 days.

Clifford said she and her husband fell in love with the culture of Celina

'If we stayed in California, we knew that buying a home would likely require moving far east, away from the ocean, or settling for a lifetime of renting or living in a small townhouse with a backyard,' she wrote.

'We're outdoorsy people, so it would feel like we were getting robbed.' 

She added that they also fell in love with the culture of Celina, writing: 'It felt like the ideal place to settle down and establish roots.

'More importantly, it was about doing something completely different,' Clifford said.

'We've experienced city life and wanted to embrace country living and own some land.'

Their new next-door neighbors own eight cows, and Clifford and her husband recently purchased their own chicken coop, she said. 

She said she is grateful that her two daughters will be able to grow up in the Texas city

The city's population has boomed in recent years with more and more Californians moving to Celina, thereby raising prices

She went on to describe the city as having a 'small, cozy vibe' despite its large land mass.

'Everyone says hi and I feel like we all know one another,' Clifford wrote. 

'It's hard to describe, but it feels like you're going back in time,' she said, describing how the city and residents have preserved their culture with small businesses and 'almost no fast-food chains.'

'I'm honored to consider myself a Celina resident and am grateful to be welcomed,' she said. 

Clifford added that she is also grateful that her children will have a home of their own.

'I'm not usually an emotional person, but in the last month, I swear, I cried all the time. I just never thought it was going to happen,' she said of the possibility of owning a home.

'I've been renting or moving almost every year since I was 18,' she continued.

'To finally have something that's mine is the most amazing feeling.

'Knowing that my daughters will have space to run around in Celina is the biggest blessing. I keep imagining them playing at the end of a cul-de-sac just like I did when I was growing up.

'I'm just so grateful,' Clifford concluded. 'It feels like it was all meant to be.'

But, she noted, all of the charms that drew her to Celina are now bringing in more and more Californians who are raising the prices. 

Its median home price has also skyrocketed to roughly $680,000, 29 percent higher than the average home price in nearby Dallas.

Celina's newest transplants are likely there for the hourlong commute to Dallas, its well ranked schools and low crime rates.

Celina has also has a fair bit of culture in its own right, known for hosting festivals filled with good food and attractions.

Its downtown square hosted its annual Cajun Festival in May, billing the event as the 'Biggest Crawfish Boil in North Texas.'

The event was complete with live alligator shows, a family-friendly carnival and live performance by country star Aaron Watson.

And of course, thousands of pounds of fresh crawfish for residents and passersby alike to enjoy.

Now, Clifford said she hopes 'Celina doesn't lose the quaint feel that drew me here in the first place.'